Book: The Book of Leo by Crystal North
Reviewed by Booksbystarlightandshadows
Rating: 4/5
I'm a big Crystal North fan and was really looking forward to her Zodiac book. This is the second release in the Zodiac series so far and there is definitely more Guild action in this one which I enjoyed. Zara is an interesting FMC who balances her Guild missions with being a biochemist. I loved how intelligent and competent Zara was, although the moaning about the 0.9 mile walk did make me laugh. Fox however was my favourite character by a country mile; I loved the whole chameleon aspect and his internal monologues when it came to his claim on Zara.
I definitely felt like Zara and Fox's relationship was the most developed of the three. Cole knows something is up with Zara from the outset and makes it his mission to find out what that is which gives them a bit of an enemies to lovers vibe. Elias felt a bit underused though in comparison; I liked his character and felt he brought great balance to the whole dynamic however I was convinced at one point he wasn't making it to the end as the relationship didn't feel as strong as the others. It felt like Zara and Elias had less one on one page time compared to Fox and Cole, particularly in the scene where they finally get together. Although Zara did have feelings for him, as Elias was part of the initial job, I was expecting a bit more tension relating to that but it didn't really go in that direction. That surprised me as the action happens over days rather than weeks and I thought Elias deserved a bit of a grovel.
I found the prose a tiny bit repetitive at some points (usually when someone was observing Zara) but it didn't lessen my engagement. I loved the final stand off scene and it really kept me guessing as to who was behind it all. I'm intrigued to meet Hawk too!
My interpretation of the star system;
3 stars - I enjoyed it; would read the author again
4 stars - I really liked it; I am invested and definitely want more from this author/series
5 stars - I loved it; I engaged with this book completely until I finished it and it is one I will re-read